Guides / Choosing a Supplier
The Twelve Things a Brass Quote Needs From Your Drawing
September 21, 2026
A brass RFQ that is missing information does not get a lower quote. It gets a padded one, because every gap is something the shop has to assume and shops assume conservatively.
Worse, each shop assumes something different, so the quotes you compare are quotes for different parts.
Here is the checklist.
The geometry
1. A STEP file. Or IGES. The 3D model, so nobody has to rebuild it. For a flat profile, DWG or DXF is fine.
2. A PDF drawing. The model cannot carry tolerances, threads, finish or notes. Send both. This single combination is the biggest quality difference between RFQs we see.
The material
3. The alloy, or better, the requirement. If the alloy is a preference, name it. If it is driven by a standard, write the standard and leave the alloy open:
Wetted potable water component.
Must comply with NSF/ANSI 372.
Suggested alloy C69300 or equivalent lead-free brass.
That version lets a shop offer whatever compliant bar it can source that week. Lead-free stock is thinner than C360, so this freedom is worth real money. See which brass alloy to specify.
4. The service environment. Hot water, seawater, near ammonia, dry electrical enclosure. The environment picks the alloy more reliably than the geometry does, and it is the thing shops most often have to guess. See dezincification resistant brass and season cracking in brass parts.
The features that cost money
5. Every thread in full. Size, standard, class, and whether it seals. “1/2 inch thread” is not a callout. “1/2-14 NPT, sealing, gauge per ASME B1.20.1” is. See thread standards on brass fittings.
6. Internal burr condition. The line most drawings omit and the one that causes most field failures:
All internal cross hole intersections free of burrs
and loose particles. No raised material in flow path.
See the burr inside the bore nobody can see.
7. Tolerances, with a general block. A general tolerance plus two or three specific callouts quotes cheaper and produces better parts than tight numbers on everything. Every toleranced dimension is an inspection operation.
8. Surface finish, only where it matters. A general Ra plus better on the faces that seal or are seen. See tolerances and surface finish on brass parts.
9. Finishing and plating, with before or after. Say whether dimensions apply before or after plating, and whether anything must be masked. See surface finishes and plating for brass.
The commercial part
10. Real quantity and repeat interval. Not “around a thousand”. The annual quantity and whether it comes back. Setup is a fixed cost spread over the run, and a shop that expects the part quarterly quotes it differently. See what drives the cost of a machined brass fitting.
11. When you need it, honestly. As soon as possible is not a date. If plating is involved, add two weeks of calendar time that has nothing to do with machining.
12. Certificates and paperwork. Which certificate type, and whether per lot or first article only. These are priced very differently. See material certificates for brass parts.
The two lines that save the most money
If you only add two things to your next brass RFQ, add these.
The reason for the alloy, not just the name. It opens the door to a cheaper compliant option and to better stock availability.
The internal burr condition. It raises the quote slightly and removes the failure mode that costs the most later.
Everything else on the list makes quotes comparable. Those two change the part.
What a complete RFQ looks like
Part: hose barb adapter, hex body
Files: STEP + PDF drawing attached
Material: wetted potable water component,
NSF/ANSI 372 compliant, suggested C69300.
3.1 certificate with first article.
Environment: cold and hot potable water to 80 C.
Threads: 1/2-14 NPT male, sealing.
Gauge per ASME B1.20.1.
Burrs: bore free of burrs at cross hole intersection,
no loose particles.
Tolerances: ISO 2768-m general.
Boxed dimensions as drawn.
Finish: Ra 3.2 general, Ra 0.8 on seal face.
Vibratory tumble. No plating.
Quantity: 2,500 per release, 10,000 per year,
repeating for at least 3 years.
Needed: first article 4 weeks, production 8 weeks.
Every shop that reads that quotes the same part. That is the whole objective.
Then send it to the right shops
A complete RFQ sent to fifteen shops that do not suit the part still wastes a week. Matching matters as much as the paperwork does. See picking a brass machining shop.
Send your RFQ with the checklist above and we will match it with up to three shops that turn brass regularly, and reply within 24 business hours.
Frequently asked questions
What file formats should I send?
A STEP file for the geometry plus a PDF drawing for everything the geometry cannot carry: tolerances, threads, finish, burr condition and material notes. That combination gets the most accurate quotes. A STEP file on its own leaves every requirement to be assumed, and a PDF on its own makes the shop rebuild the model.
Should I tell shops my target price?
It helps when it is real. A genuine target lets a shop tell you what would have to change to reach it, which is more useful than a number you cannot use. An invented low target just teaches the shop that your numbers are not information, and the conversation gets worse from there.
Do I have to name the alloy?
No, and often you should not. Describe the environment and the standard the part has to meet, and leave the grade open. A shop can then offer the cheapest compliant alloy it can actually source. Naming one alloy can put you on a long lead time for no engineering reason, especially on lead-free grades.
How much does an incomplete RFQ actually cost?
It shows up two ways. Shops add a margin for every assumption they have to make, so the quote is higher than the part deserves. And the quotes are not comparable, because each shop assumed something different, so you end up comparing prices for different parts without knowing it.
Need a quote for this part?
Send the drawing. We match you with up to 3 brass shops and reply within 24 business hours.
Get matched with a brass machining shop